A Trump Judge Says the EPA Can’t Use Race in “Cancer Alley” Probe

By Willy Blackmore | Word In BlackOverview: When he was Louisiana attorney general, Gov. Jeff Landry sued the EPA to stop the investigation, arguing there is no evidence racism was at play in regulators allowing so many industrial facilities in St. John’s Parish. The judge’s ruling will likely have a chilling effect on environmental justice cases in other states.(WIB) – A federal judge in Louisiana has blocked the federal government from investigating whether race should be considered as a factor in the enforcement of environmental laws, including the issuing of pollution permits. The ruling from the U.S. District Court for Western Louisiana, issued late last month, makes permanent a hold on disparate impact assessments that was put in place back in January.LEARN MORE: Cancer Alley’s Air is More Polluted Than We KnewThe decision by Judge James Cain, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, effectively bars the Environmental Protection Agency from using Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the agency’s best — and arguably only — enforcement mechanism for environmental justice issues.At issue is the EPA’s action taken on a claim that Earthjustice, an environmental law organization, filed with the agency in 2022 on behalf of residents in St....